Jax Pavan
Jax Pavan (also known as the Dark Knight, Azrael, Bat-Man, Man-Bat, and the Bat) was a human assassin, vigilante and businessman affiliated with the Central Intelligence Agency, the founder of Whiplash and a shareholder of the multi-million dollar company Pavan Technology. Biography Early life Jax Pavan was born in Cardiff, Wales on January 17, 1974 to Siena and Lorn Pavan. When he was eight years old, Pavan fell into a cave but was rescued by his father. He later told his son that "though people fall, they always have the strength to get up." By the age of twelve, Pavan and his family were living in the United States of America. Sometime after his family's relocation Pavan became a fan of and looked up to the masked vigilante known as The Bat. He would later come to emulate his hero and even briefly replaced him. Accounts after this period of Pavan's childhood were sketchy as his mind was tampered with by the CIA in his adulthood and believed he was even given some false memories. One of these accounts included Pavan being frightened by a scene featuring a monster at a performance of the opera Mefistofele, and asked his parents to leave. Outside the theater, Pavan's parents were both killed at night in a robbery by mugger Poe Chilly, who was in actuality hired by the Court of Ravens to murder them. Lorn's last words to his son were to "not be afraid." Pavan was later found by the police and was comforted by Sergeant Kyle Katarn. Jax blamed himself for his parents' murder because he believed that had he not been frightened, the Pavan's would not have encountered Chilly, though the apparent relative Maurice Micklewhite assured him it was no one's fault but Chilly's. Because of the similarity of his parent's death's with that of his hero, the Bat, it was speculated that these memories were in fact false. However, it was known that his parents had died by the time he had reached adulthood and it was slyly confirmed by Court of Ravens member Martin Blake Sr. that the organization were the ones responsible for their deaths. He later elaborated on the reasoning for the murder's and Pavan's apparent past. According to Blake, Pavan's parents, who both Court of Ravens members themselves, willingly allowed their son's genetic structure to be altered by scientists, engineering him to be capable of feats beyond those of a normal human and because of mind control he grew up oblivious to his intended larger purpose. His conditioning was the result of a process referred to as "The System", the full implications on the human psyche of which were never fully explained. Essentially being trained as a weapon to be used for the Court of Ravens own purposes, Lorn Pavan took measures to save his son from this life. However, Blake learned of this and orchestrated for the Pavan's to be murdered instead. Micklewhite, who went by the name Alfred Beadle, arranged for Pavan to be adopted by Bruce Wain, whom Beadle worked for as a butler. Time at Wain Manor A short while after moving in, Jax was elated to learn that his new caretaker was his hero the Bat. He earned the mantle of Robin by helping the Bat apprehend a gang of thieves. However, Pavan did not go in the field until after six months of training. Wain realized that while Pavan didn't possess Rick Greyson's acrobatic skills, he could become a productive crimefighter by channeling his rage. He also believed that if he didn't help the boy, Jax would eventually become part of the "criminal element." Pavan also aided the Bat against Deacon Blackfire. Unlike Wain's first protegee Rick Greyson, Pavan was impulsive, reckless, and full of rage. Even on missions in which the Bat ordered him to conduct surveillance, Jax attacked, ruining months of planning. Pavan also used excessive force to subdue criminals. In one adventure, asked to "hold off" villains, Jax instantly took to firing at them with a gun. As Pavan began getting comfortable with his role as Robin, he was startled by the return of Nightwing. Once he discovered that Nightwing was the original Robin, Jax felt that his role was threatened. However, Greyson gave Pavan his blessing and offered to listen if he ever needed a friend. Pavan's violent behavior came to a head during a case involving Felipe Garzonas, the son of a diplomat and Gloria Stanson, the woman he raped. Garzonas evaded criminal charges due to his father's status. Wain understood the need for patience in this case, but Pavan was livid. When the duo later find Gloria dead, having taken her own life by hanging herself, Jax immediately went after Garzonas. The Bat cought up in time to see Garzonas falling to his death, with Jax watching. Though Pavan claimed Garzonas slipped, Wain suspected that Jax actually killed the man. Soon after, the diplomat arrived in New York City to kill Robin for the death of his son. Wain attempted to shelter Pavan from this, but they both confronted the diplomat in a junk yard. The battle lead to the death of the diplomat and Wain urged Pavan to understand that actions always had consequences. As Pavan's rage and dangerous behavior continued to grow worse, Wain felt he had no choice but to suspend Jax from active duty. Angered by this decision, Jax walked out on Bruce. Micklewhite gave him a box of his mother's belongings which led him to believe that Siena Todd was not his biological mother. Determined to find his birth mother, Pavan used his father's old address book and the Batcomputer to find three women who might be his mother. After following a number of leads, Jax finally tracked down a woman who he thought was his mother, Catherine Haywood, to Ethiopia, where she worked as an aid worker. While Pavan was overjoyed to be reunited with his birth mother, he soon discovered that she was being blackmailed by the Joker, who was using her to provide him with medical supplies. Haywood herself had been embezzling from the aid agency and as part of the cover-up she handed him over to the Joker. The Joker beat the boy brutally with a crowbar, and then left him and Haywood in the warehouse with a time bomb. Catherine and Jax tried desperately to get out of the warehouse but were still inside as the bomb went off. The Bat arrived too late to save them and after this stripped the Batcave and Wain Manor of anything related to Pavan, trying to forget the boy even existed. Wain felt much guilt and considered this his greatest failure. Serving the Court of Ravens In the Swiss Alps, Blake taught Pavan of the responsibilities of Azrael, and revealed that despite believing himself to be rather mild-mannered, he was in reality already a more-than-capable fighter requiring no additional training, having been already unknowingly suitably conditioned. In his first time donning his costume, Azrael encountered Bat-Man, accompanied by his butler Alfred, who had traveled to Switzerland investigating the mystery behind Pavan's father's death, the nature of which had inadvertently instigated a riot. Although at first they were at odds with each other, Azrael was eventually forced to rescue Bruce from Blake, and ended up rejecting the Court of Ravens's violent and uncaring methods in favor of rejoining the more humanitarian efforts Bat-Man encouraged. Becoming the Knight? Pavan later returned to Chicago and began plotting a one-man war against the corrupt system. His first move was to kill the man whom he thought was responsible for his parents death's, Poe Chilly, whose prison sentence was being suspended in exchange for testifying against mob boss Latham Cole. One of Cole's henchwomen, however, killed Chilly. He sought the help of Rachel Dawes, now an assistant district attorney, but when Pavan told his childhood friend about his foiled plan, she expressed disgust for his blind vengeance without regard for justice. He then attempted to sway police sergeant Kyle Katarn, whom he believed consoled him in the aftermath of his parents' murder, to his side in the coming conflict. After reestablishing his connections to his father's company, Pavan Technology, Pavan was able to acquire, with the help of former board member Carl Foxx, a prototype armored car and an experimental armored suit. He also established a secret base in a cave underneath Pavan Manor. In his new costume, he disrupted a drug shipment by Cole and left the mob boss tied to a searchlight. He also disrupted an assassination attempt on Dawes, leaving her with evidence against a judge on Cole's payroll. While investigating the "unusual" drugs in the shipment, The Dark Knight was stunned by sinister psychopharmacologist Dr. Donald Fischer, who sprayed him with a powerful hallucinogen. Nicklewhite rescued Pavan, who received an anti-toxin developed by Foxx. Dr. Fischer later poisoned Dawes after showing her that the toxin, which was harmful only in vapor form, was being piped into Gotham's water supply. However, the Dark Knight saved her. The police entered Gotham Asylum and arrested Fischer while the Dark Knight escaped with Rachel. After administering the antidote to Rachel in the Knight Cave, he gave her two vials of it for Katarn; one for the detective to inoculate himself, and another to mass-produce for the city's population. Following the battle, The Dark Knight became a public hero and Pavan installed Foxx as CEO of his company. However, he was unable to hold onto Rachel, who could not reconcile her love for Pavan with his dual life as the Dark Knight. Katarn mentioned a criminal who had "a taste for the theatrical", leaving a playing card at his crime scenes. The Dark Knight promised to investigate it. As he left, Katarn said that he hadn't thanked the Dark Knight for what he had done. The Dark Knight replied that Katarn would never have to and flew off into the night. However, it was later learned that his memories had been tampered with by agents of the Court of Ravens for many years and was thus unable to pick apart which of these accounts were true. Serving the CIA At some point in his adulthood, Pavan began working as a field agent for the Central Intelligence Agency. During his service it was known that he was under a form of mind control to keep him in line with his superiors. He was known to have killed many enemies of the agency and met the scientist and long-time friend David Banner during his time there. Sometime later, the hallucinogens that Pavan had been administered to him by Dr. Fischer began to wear off. At around the same time Banner transformed into a monstrous grungy green skinned giant, causing an explosion and massive destruction at the CIA building. In the midst if the chaos, Pavan caught a glimpse of the monster and decided to follow it. He learned not long after that the giant was actually his friend. War against the Court of Ravens Personality and traits Relationships Friendships Though he once claimed that he "didn't have the luxury of friends", Jax Pavan formed many friendships in his life. Maurice Micklewhite Bruce Wain David Banner Carl "Kami" Foxx Kyle Katarn Dent Young Frank Pavan Malgus Bane Romances Throughout his life, Jax Pavan had a number of tumultuous and sometimes even tragic romances. Rachel Dawes He formulated a friendship with Rachel Dawes, though it was unknown to what extent. Rachael Young Miranda "Rachel" Tate Elena "Rachel" Thermopolis Raven Katniss Powers and abilities Appearances Notes and references Category:Humans Category:Males Category:Business owners and executives Category:Members of Whiplash Category:Criminals Category:Pilots Category:Smugglers Category:Individuals with mental disorders Category:Assassins Category:People of the Central Intelligence Agency Category:Members of the Court of Ravens